Beacon Charter High School for the Arts Introduction: Beacon Charter High School for the Arts is a charter school open to all Rhode Island high school students. It strives to develop the artistic senses in students while also equipping them with the academic skills necessary to success in life beyond high school. Its three main artistic focuses include visual arts, theater arts, and culinary arts (along with basic academic subjects such as math and english) (Beacon Charter High School, 2015). Unlike many public schools, Beacon is a place for students who are passionate about the arts to grow and develop in an artistic sense. Children who find that they have a special interest or talent in the world of art should consider attending Beacon. The school is fairly small, consisting of only 230 students and 20 teachers (InfoWorks!, 2015). Due to the fact that the main focus of this school is artistic promotion, academic levels often fall short of many primarily academic schools. In order to graduate, a student must earn eight artistic credits, while they only need four or less credits in subjects such as math and history. The school lacks some of the things that public schools do, such as a multitude of afterschool activities, but this is likely due to the fact that many “activities” (such as art and drama) are done in the classroom, during school hours (Beacon Charter High School, 2015). Although academic testing levels may not be overly impressive, the teachers are well qualified, there is a wide range of demographics, and the students feel that they get the attention that they need to succeed in the artistic fields. Lead author: Hayley
Student Achievement: In an academic sense, the student achievement levels are not exceptional at Beacon. The NECAP assessment (taken in 11th grade) showed that the proficiency rates in math in science fell below the state rate, while the proficiency rates in reading and writing fell significantly about the state rate. However, the students’ SAT scores in math, reading, and writing all fell short of the average state and nationwide scores. The largest gap was in math, with the average score at Beacon being 422 out of a possible 800. The average RI score was 484, and the average national score was 513. There is no data listed for AP exams (InfoWorks!, 2015). Therefore, it can be assumed that the school does not offer these types of classes. That is most likely due to the fact that much of the students’ time is spent focusing on developing their artistic talents. This also explains why math scores are significantly lower. Reading and writing is often included in things such as theater classes, but no math is required. The school teaches math, but only the math needed to prepare the student for life after high school Lead author: Hayley
Teacher Qualifications: The principle of the school, Michael Skeldon, earned his B.A. in secondary education at Rhode Island College, and his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Wales University (Beacon Charter High School, 2015). This is in accordance with the basis national standards for becoming a principal, which generally requires that a principal has a masters degree in educational leadership or education administration (Beacon Charter High School, 2015). As a state, Rhode Island is no longer required to report their highly qualified teachers, so that data is no longer available for use. In Beacon, there is approximately one teacher per every twelve students, while statewide; there is about one teacher for every nine students. In order to calculate these ratios, one must count the number of teachers in the school (classroom teachers or not) and divide them by the number of students. If the same ratio is calculated with just classroom teachers, then there is about one teacher per every thirteen students at Beacon, while statewide, there is about one teacher per every fourteen students. Therefore, this means that many of the teachers at Beacon Charter are classroom teachers, and there are not as many guidance counselors, psychologists, etc. here than there are at many other schools in Rhode Island (InfoWorks!, 2015). This may be considered a good thing or a bad thing. Classroom teachers spend more time with the students on a daily basis, which is a positive thing. However, other times, students need to see someone new and meet specially with a guidance counselor or someone one-on-one. Overall, the number of teachers and the teacher qualifications at Beacon seem to be up to par. With that said, there is room to hire some extra staff for student support, like psychologists or guidance counselors. Lead author: Hayley Classroom Structure and Student Life: When examining the quality of a school, it is important to look at what daily classroom life is like. According to the SurveryWorks! survey, 51.2% of students reported that their teachers always ask their students to use facts to back up their written opinions, compared to 38.5% statewide (SurveryWorks!, 2013). This may explain why their SAT writing scores are higher than their other sores. Also, 51.9% reported that teachers usually have students work in small groups, compared to 36.5% statewide. 63.3% of students reported that they agree that their teacher keeps them interested in class, while only 51.4% reported that they agree statewide. However, 42.2% of students at Beacon said they spend more than four hours a day doing things other than homework, while only 25.8% of students reported this statewide (SurveryWorks!, 2013). One might infer that this is because Beacon assigns less homework than your average RI school. From these statistics, it seems as if the students at Beacon are engaged and learning in school, but are not as disciplined as other students in Rhode Island. Lead Author: Hayley
Demographics and Special Education: Beacon Charter’s student population is 1% American Indian, 2% Asian, 11% Hispanic, 8% black, and 78% white (Beacon Charter High School Description, 2015). We can see support in the claim simply from the pictures posted on the homepage for the school. The school is co-ed consisting of 59% female and 41% male population. They claim to be very centered around a “racially accepting program.” According to Infoworks!, there are 0 people receiving ESL or bilingual education services. Also, the average of student’s eligible for subsidized lunches is 47% in the state of Rhode Island and 48% in Beacon Charter School.In the state of Rhode Island, 15% of children receive special education services. In Beacon Charter school, 14% of children still receive these services which is low considering in the town of woonsocket, 21% of children are granted special needs services. Woonsocket has 5,614 children with special needs. The most prevalent needs are learning disabilities, hearing disabilities, and children on the autism spectrum.
Lead Author: Bethany Long
Extracurriculars: Seeing as the entire school is centered around either visual arts, theatre arts, or culinary arts, there are limited options for extracurriculars. When the students enter the school, they study in one of those main three disciplines or tracks. They must take and pass 32 classes in order to graduate while in those tracks. For the culinary track, their main focus is to give them the basic necessities to be prepared for culinary school. By graduation these students will have learned the basic safety and sanitation for the kitchen and enhance their skills in cooking and baking. (Beacon Charter High School Description,2015). For theatre, their goal is to have the students learn the roles in all positions of play casting and running. The school puts on 2 shows a year in addition to anything student run. Lastly, the visual arts track is to prepare the kids in all mediums for art school and give them the opportunity to display their work in a gallery similarly to real world experiences. Many clubs offered after school are put together by students and can be very common such as Student Government to very themes such as a “ doctor who club.” Beacon charter school picks an artist of the year and artist of the month in each of their three disciplines; visual arts, culinary arts, and theatre arts. For sports and recognized clubs, there is nothing posted on their website. After reading multiple reviews, I’ve concluded there must not really be much of anything after school at Beacon Charter School.
Lead Author: Bethany Long
Conclusion: In conclusion, Beacon Charter is a student centered school that focuses toward a career oriented education. They seem to lack in some areas such as math and science but seem to excel in reading and writing when compared with the rest of Rhode Island. This is not an expression of the teachers ability as we have seen that they are all highly qualified. The majority of their school consists of classroom teachers as opposed to guidance counselors and school staff. Their student to teacher ration is slightly better than the Rhode Island average but they lack the extra supportive staff. They are a highly diverse co-ed school with various general extra curricular activities. They pride themselves on their “ artist of the year and month” selections and post them on the website. They choose from all three focuses in the school as well. Beacon Charter school would be a great school if you know what you are aiming to do after high school. If you are interested in one of their focuses and know that is what you want to pursue, it would be the perfect school for you. If you want to be a doctor or a therapist, it may not be the best place.
Introduction:
Beacon Charter High School for the Arts is a charter school open to all Rhode Island high school students. It strives to develop the artistic senses in students while also equipping them with the academic skills necessary to success in life beyond high school. Its three main artistic focuses include visual arts, theater arts, and culinary arts (along with basic academic subjects such as math and english) (Beacon Charter High School, 2015). Unlike many public schools, Beacon is a place for students who are passionate about the arts to grow and develop in an artistic sense. Children who find that they have a special interest or talent in the world of art should consider attending Beacon. The school is fairly small, consisting of only 230 students and 20 teachers (InfoWorks!, 2015). Due to the fact that the main focus of this school is artistic promotion, academic levels often fall short of many primarily academic schools. In order to graduate, a student must earn eight artistic credits, while they only need four or less credits in subjects such as math and history. The school lacks some of the things that public schools do, such as a multitude of afterschool activities, but this is likely due to the fact that many “activities” (such as art and drama) are done in the classroom, during school hours (Beacon Charter High School, 2015). Although academic testing levels may not be overly impressive, the teachers are well qualified, there is a wide range of demographics, and the students feel that they get the attention that they need to succeed in the artistic fields.
Lead author: Hayley
Student Achievement:
In an academic sense, the student achievement levels are not exceptional at Beacon. The NECAP assessment (taken in 11th grade) showed that the proficiency rates in math in science fell below the state rate, while the proficiency rates in reading and writing fell significantly about the state rate. However, the students’ SAT scores in math, reading, and writing all fell short of the average state and nationwide scores. The largest gap was in math, with the average score at Beacon being 422 out of a possible 800. The average RI score was 484, and the average national score was 513. There is no data listed for AP exams (InfoWorks!, 2015). Therefore, it can be assumed that the school does not offer these types of classes. That is most likely due to the fact that much of the students’ time is spent focusing on developing their artistic talents. This also explains why math scores are significantly lower. Reading and writing is often included in things such as theater classes, but no math is required. The school teaches math, but only the math needed to prepare the student for life after high school
Lead author: Hayley
Teacher Qualifications:
The principle of the school, Michael Skeldon, earned his B.A. in secondary education at Rhode Island College, and his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Wales University (Beacon Charter High School, 2015). This is in accordance with the basis national standards for becoming a principal, which generally requires that a principal has a masters degree in educational leadership or education administration (Beacon Charter High School, 2015). As a state, Rhode Island is no longer required to report their highly qualified teachers, so that data is no longer available for use. In Beacon, there is approximately one teacher per every twelve students, while statewide; there is about one teacher for every nine students. In order to calculate these ratios, one must count the number of teachers in the school (classroom teachers or not) and divide them by the number of students. If the same ratio is calculated with just classroom teachers, then there is about one teacher per every thirteen students at Beacon, while statewide, there is about one teacher per every fourteen students. Therefore, this means that many of the teachers at Beacon Charter are classroom teachers, and there are not as many guidance counselors, psychologists, etc. here than there are at many other schools in Rhode Island (InfoWorks!, 2015). This may be considered a good thing or a bad thing. Classroom teachers spend more time with the students on a daily basis, which is a positive thing. However, other times, students need to see someone new and meet specially with a guidance counselor or someone one-on-one. Overall, the number of teachers and the teacher qualifications at Beacon seem to be up to par. With that said, there is room to hire some extra staff for student support, like psychologists or guidance counselors.
Lead author: Hayley
Classroom Structure and Student Life:
When examining the quality of a school, it is important to look at what daily classroom life is like. According to the SurveryWorks! survey, 51.2% of students reported that their teachers always ask their students to use facts to back up their written opinions, compared to 38.5% statewide (SurveryWorks!, 2013). This may explain why their SAT writing scores are higher than their other sores. Also, 51.9% reported that teachers usually have students work in small groups, compared to 36.5% statewide. 63.3% of students reported that they agree that their teacher keeps them interested in class, while only 51.4% reported that they agree statewide. However, 42.2% of students at Beacon said they spend more than four hours a day doing things other than homework, while only 25.8% of students reported this statewide (SurveryWorks!, 2013). One might infer that this is because Beacon assigns less homework than your average RI school. From these statistics, it seems as if the students at Beacon are engaged and learning in school, but are not as disciplined as other students in Rhode Island.
Lead Author: Hayley
Demographics and Special Education:
Beacon Charter’s student population is 1% American Indian, 2% Asian, 11% Hispanic, 8% black, and 78% white (Beacon Charter High School Description, 2015). We can see support in the claim simply from the pictures posted on the homepage for the school. The school is co-ed consisting of 59% female and 41% male population. They claim to be very centered around a “racially accepting program.” According to Infoworks!, there are 0 people receiving ESL or bilingual education services. Also, the average of student’s eligible for subsidized lunches is 47% in the state of Rhode Island and 48% in Beacon Charter School.In the state of Rhode Island, 15% of children receive special education services. In Beacon Charter school, 14% of children still receive these services which is low considering in the town of woonsocket, 21% of children are granted special needs services. Woonsocket has 5,614 children with special needs. The most prevalent needs are learning disabilities, hearing disabilities, and children on the autism spectrum.
Lead Author: Bethany Long
Extracurriculars:
Seeing as the entire school is centered around either visual arts, theatre arts, or culinary arts, there are limited options for extracurriculars. When the students enter the school, they study in one of those main three disciplines or tracks. They must take and pass 32 classes in order to graduate while in those tracks. For the culinary track, their main focus is to give them the basic necessities to be prepared for culinary school. By graduation these students will have learned the basic safety and sanitation for the kitchen and enhance their skills in cooking and baking. (Beacon Charter High School Description,2015). For theatre, their goal is to have the students learn the roles in all positions of play casting and running. The school puts on 2 shows a year in addition to anything student run. Lastly, the visual arts track is to prepare the kids in all mediums for art school and give them the opportunity to display their work in a gallery similarly to real world experiences. Many clubs offered after school are put together by students and can be very common such as Student Government to very themes such as a “ doctor who club.” Beacon charter school picks an artist of the year and artist of the month in each of their three disciplines; visual arts, culinary arts, and theatre arts. For sports and recognized clubs, there is nothing posted on their website. After reading multiple reviews, I’ve concluded there must not really be much of anything after school at Beacon Charter School.
Lead Author: Bethany Long
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Beacon Charter is a student centered school that focuses toward a career oriented education. They seem to lack in some areas such as math and science but seem to excel in reading and writing when compared with the rest of Rhode Island. This is not an expression of the teachers ability as we have seen that they are all highly qualified. The majority of their school consists of classroom teachers as opposed to guidance counselors and school staff. Their student to teacher ration is slightly better than the Rhode Island average but they lack the extra supportive staff. They are a highly diverse co-ed school with various general extra curricular activities. They pride themselves on their “ artist of the year and month” selections and post them on the website. They choose from all three focuses in the school as well. Beacon Charter school would be a great school if you know what you are aiming to do after high school. If you are interested in one of their focuses and know that is what you want to pursue, it would be the perfect school for you. If you want to be a doctor or a therapist, it may not be the best place.
Lead Author: Bethany Long
Bibliography:
Beacon Charter High School. (2015). Beacon Charter High School For the Arts. Retrieved from __https://www.beaconart.org__
Beacon Charter High School. (2015). Graduation Requirements and College Acceptances. Retrieved from __https://www.beaconart.org/academics.php__
"Beacon Charter High School Description." RISchools -. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2015. __http://rischools.wikispaces.com/Beacon+Charter+High+School+Description__
InfoWorks! (2015). Beacon Charter High School For the Arts. Retrieved from __http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/beacon-charter-high-school-for-the-arts__
SurveryWorks! (2013, 2014). Beacon Charter School. Retrieved from __http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/files/surveyworks/2013-2014/combined/surveyworks-2013-2014-beacon-charter-high-school-for-the-arts-student-parent-teacher-hs.pdf__
United States Department of Labor. (n.d.). How to Become an Elementary, Middle, or High School Principal. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/elementary-middle-and-high-school-principals.htm#tab-4